Chapter 28: Online Insults
The online insults were getting worse. It wasn't just Lily being cursed out; both Owen and Oscar were being dragged into it as well. People were saying their whole family was dishonest for hiding a person's medical condition.
Elsie was heartbroken. “They’re going too far,” she cried. “It’s one thing to insult Mom, but why are they attacking Oscar and Owen too?”
Owen gripped the iPad tightly. He didn’t blame the netizens; this was all Yunice’s fault for being so rebellious. If she hadn’t acted out, none of this would have ended up online. He turned around and started pounding on Yunice’s door.
As soon as Yunice stepped out, Owen grabbed her. “How much more trouble are you planning to cause this family?”
Yunice looked at him. “I’m not getting married.”
“What woman doesn’t get married? You think you can just stay in this house forever?”
Yunice remembered how Elsie had once playfully said she didn’t want to get married. And what had Owen said back then? He had told her she didn’t have to, that the family could afford to take care of her.
Yunice laughed at herself. “If you think I’m a burden, I can move out of the Saunders family.”
Owen said, “You think it’s that simple? If you move out, people will just say we abandoned you and kicked you out.”
So they wanted to get rid of her, but they also wanted to keep up appearances. The only way to do both was to find a man to take her in. Yunice didn’t respond. She just took the iPad from Elsie’s hands, scrolled through the comments, then turned the screen toward Owen. “So if you marry me off to a man with CAIS, that would make you all look good?”
Owen froze. His eyes landed on one particular comment: “That woman isn’t any better. Her son has CAIS, is prone to violence, and can’t even have kids. And she still insists on a grandson? What a joke. No wonder they got kicked out.”
Owen was shocked. He turned to Lily. “Mom, the guy you picked for Yunice has CAIS?”
Lily looked bewildered. “I… I didn’t know. But Genna is a nice person…”
A woman who groped people’s butts to test their obedience? How nice could she be?
Lily still tried to justify it. “Their family is well-off, and her husband works at the health bureau. Yunny isn’t actually mentally ill. If we explain things properly, they won’t hold it against her.”
Yunice laughed. How little must Lily think of her, to believe that as long as others didn’t look down on her, that was all that mattered, never once considering whether she looked down on them.
Yunice sneered. “What’s more important to you, Genna or the health bureau that can help Owen’s career? As long as it benefits Owen, it’s okay to marry me off to someone with CAIS and turn me into a baby-making machine, right?”
Lily’s face burned with embarrassment.
Elue immediately chimed in. “If it helps Owen’s career and benefits our family’s hospital, then I’d be willing to marry a disabled person and take care of them myself.”
Yunice shot her a look. “Since you’re so self-sacrificing, why don’t you marry him?”
“Pal!” Owen slapped Yunice across the face. The pain was sharp. Yunice closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again, her expression completely calm.
He must have been holding that slap in for a long time. He had probably wanted to hit her before but had been suppressing it under a fake sense of morality. It was only now, in the midst of defending Elsie, that he finally let loose.
Yunice smiled. “Mom and Owen picked such a great family. If Elsie marries into it, she’ll be living the good life. Owen, why are you so mad! Shouldn’t you be happy for her?”
Owen was still furious. “Are you even comparable to Elsie? She’s in grad school and has won multiple provincial-level awards.”
Even though Yunice had told herself not to care about what anyone in the Saunders family said, words could still cut deep. Even knives stabbed into the bold hurt less. She regretted trying to argue. Bias ran too deep… People like Owen would never think they were wrong. To them, the only problem was that she didn’t know her place.
Seeing that Owen had gone too far, Elsie tugged at his sleeve and gently said, “Yunice, you really misunderstood. Owen isn’t forcing you to get married. It’s just that business is tough. The hospital had a medical dispute, and the impact has been huge. Owen’s been stressed about it for days.”
A medical dispute? Before Yunice could ask what had happened, Owen pulled his arm away. “Why are you telling her that? Someone as vicious as her would love to see the hospital shut down.”
With that, he stormed upstairs.
Yunice turned a scrutinizing gaze on Elsie. “Was it your mistake that caused the accident?”
A flicker of guilt flashed through Elsie’s eyes before she turned and followed Owen.
Yunice went back to her room and checked the news about Saunders Hospital on her phone. That was when she found out that Saunders Hospital had been exposed for surgical malpractice, leading to a patient’s sudden cardiac arrest. Though the patient had been resuscitated, their family had set up banners outside the hospital, demanding an apology and compensation.